Micah House welcomes all children for tutoring and activities after school

REDLANDS -- The smallest thing could bring Suh' Myah Brown to tears. The young girl had seen more than most others at her elementary school. Her North Redlands world was a place where a young neighbor was murdered. Her uncle had also been murdered and her mom had little or no help with her children.

"Everything seemed to be a tear-jerker for her," said her mother Daniele Brown in a 2011 letter to Redlands after-school program, the Micah House.

But then, Brown saw a change in her daughter after Suh' Myah started attending the after-school program.

"I began to notice not only was my child more sociable, she also became more helpful and she was always excited when it came time to go see miss Myra (at the Micah House on Chapel Street)."

Up to 137 little children with big voices, just like Suh' Myah, fill two old apartments every Monday through Thursday for the Trinity Community Foundation's Micah House after-school program.

"The big thing, and the little thing, we do is the day-to-day interaction," said Micah House director David Wilson. "This is not just after-school tutoring. We want to help them make wise decisions."

From first grade to 12th, anyone is welcome after 1:30 p.m. at either of their two locations on Chapel Street or Oxford Drive. In 2012, the program had 347 volunteers in the two homes for tutoring programs, nutrition counseling, gardening classes, business speakers, literacy classes along with personalized love and attention.

"I always have to find something that keeps me doing this," Wilson said. "Hearing that story from Suh' Myah has been the one thing that has kept me focused on what we want to do."

Although afraid for her academic success at first, Brown said in her letter to Wilson that her daughter's report card has been filled with A's and B's.

"A lot of these kids have experiences that are very different from the average person," said Oxford Street location program director Dianne Lawson. "But we believe that it should not define them ... it is life changing on so many different levels."

Twelve years ago, a group from Trinity Church noticed a need in North Redlands. Meeting as a loosely run and ragtag group, the volunteers started a small teen center.

"But then, the facilities they were meeting in were not available anymore," Wilson said. "The parents were actually upset about this and they wrote letters and petitioned the city council."

With the help of former Police Chief Jim Bueermann, the city of Redlands got involved and agreed to rent out space in a facility on Chapel Street for $1 per year.

But first, the church had to form a non-profit to run the program, giving rise to the Trinity Community Foundation.

"The city and the church really put their heads together and did this," Wilson said.

Over the years, the program has blossomed into a life changing experience for the children and their parents.

"We don't want to replace the parent's role," Wilson said. "We want to empower our community ... we believe in community development versus community service. Developing our community means we are empowering the families."

The Micah House regularly involves parents in programming when possible and encourages kids to take projects home to share with their families.

"In January a dietician will be coming in and doing education on health and nutrition," Wilson said. "We hope to influence the kids then have the kids train their parents on healthy cooking."

Wilson also shared the story of a family that started a garden together after a similar Micah House project.

Of the families that participate in the program, the majority have incomes of less than $12,000 per year. Almost half attend Franklin Elementary and the majority of the children are in between the third and seventh grades, according to the foundation's 2011-12 annual report. And although it is a Christian-based organization, the vast majority of the children who attend are not attached to a church at all, Wilson said.

Lawson hoped to emphasize that anyone is welcome at either Micah House location to come in and help out.

"Once they experience what we do, their hearts are captured," Lawson said. "It's the volunteers who come that makes this what it is. ... and many times they are the ones who really benefit from this."

Between both the houses, the foundation has three paid staff members whose salaries are paid by local churches, Wilson said.

"That's what I get to call my job," Lawson said. "You get to see life touched and changed and that is really amazing."

The Micah House has two locations in North Redlands: 611 Chapel St. and 1006 Oxford Drive. For more information, visit the website at http://micahhouseredlands.org/